You've Got a Good Heart, Katie Bell
by CarbonMonoxide
Summary: Post Hogwarts. After Katie Bell graduated, she left her best friends Alicia and Angie, and everything she ever had to become an Auror. It's been four long years, and now she's coming back to England...as a Pro Quidditch star. OWKB. It's time.
1. Mother of Pearl! Meet Katie Bell, age 15

_You've a Good Heart, Katie Bell_

By: CarbonMonoxide

**Full Summary:** After Katie Bell graduated, she left her best friends, Alicia and Angelina to become an Auror. People saw neither hair nor hide of her for four whole years. Now, 23 year old Oliver Wood, is the handsome, successful, young Captain and Keeper of Puddlemere United. The Ministry has arranged for an International Professional Quidditch Tour, where Quidditch teams from around the globe will gather in England. Poor Ollie keeps hearing about the beautiful Chaser and exAuror from America, Katherine.

Why, oh why, is she so oddly familiar?

_Disclaimer:_ I got some homework. Ya wanna have it?

Thankies to my lovely, effing awesome beta, BonBear! I love her!

I must warn you, this first chapter, may seem a bit misleading, so try to read chapter two as well, before you make a judgement of/decision about this story. In other words, it would be sad if you stopped reading this story just because you didn't like this first chapter.

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"Gryffindor Chasers, time to get up!" A strong rapping noise resounded through the fifth year girl's dormitories, echoing in the dark, empty hallway.

A very annoyed fifteen year old Alicia Spinnet flipped a pillow over her blonde head, and groaned, trying for the sixth time to block out that incredibly loud racket.

_Shut up… please. _But it was to no avail. The loud rapping continued, rising in pitch as well as frequency with every second.

"C'mon, up! Time for practice! Merlin knows, we need it with house cup matches just around the corner… they creep up on you when you least expect it, you know, one day, you wake up, and then it's like, _boom_! We're already losing to Hufflepuff for the cup... Just like that, _boom! Boom!_"

_Oh for the love of Merlin, go away…_

Yeah, she knew the person was calling for her. And too bad for her, she slept closest to the door. If she didn't do something soon, the other girls in her dormitories would surely punch her eye out for waking them up on a Saturday morning. She could already hear LeAnn Kinders shifting in the bed next to her. Eyes still half open, Alicia Spinnet groggily stood up to go let Oliver Wood, the Quidditch Nazi, into their dormitory. Swearing under her breath, she opened the door to reveal a tall, dark haired boy with an obnoxiously large smile on his face.

"It's a beautiful morning, Spinnet." The boy said excitedly. "Couldn't ask for a better day to have practice!"

Alicia wanted to punch his front teeth out. However, five minutes later, a very grumpy blonde girl was digging in her trunk looking for her missing arm guard.

"Where's Bell?" A bright eyed Oliver asked impatiently, looking way too cheery for a time when any sane person would normally be in bed, dreaming about grassy fields and daisies, and mint chocolate chip ice cream. "Shouldn't she be up as well?"

Alicia immediately stopped looking through her trunk. "Ugh, Katie!" Alicia exclaimed, standing up with a groan. "She's still sleeping, I better go wake her up." Alicia muttered, completely annoyed. Honestly, that girl slept like a log. Why couldn't Katie Bell wake up when Oliver Wood came knocking at their door? Why couldn't _she_ be the one that got out of bed to let their neurotic, maniacal quidditch Captain inside? Alicia dropped the sock she had been holding and roughly pulled the curtains aside to the bed next to her. The sleeping form of a fifteen year old Katie Bell was revealed, her dark hair spread out, and a thick duvet covering the majority of her face.

"Hey, Kates!" Alicia called out, striding over to Katie's bed. "Kaaatiee! Come on now, rise and shine, sleeping beauty!" she called out loudly, as she stood at the head of Katie's bed. "Come on, now!" Alicia stated, shaking the sheet-wrapped girl. "C'mon! Wake up! I'm giving you till three!"

The form on the bed remained motionless.

"One." Alicia drawled out, slowly.

Still nothing.

"Two."

The person only buried themselves deeper into their cocoon of sheets, obviously trying to block out the slight noise.

"Three."

_Talk about heavy sleepers. _

Alicia sighed to herself. Katie Bell had left her no choice, but to resort to plan C.

And then what Alicia did that second, truly shocked the chocolate haired older boy who had been watching with some interest in the corner. Alicia Spinnet swiftly shoved the sleeping form of her best friend of six years off the bed. Katie Bell, sheets and all, tumbled to the floor.

Oliver gaped.

Alicia noticed the shocked expression Oliver was wearing, and shrugged at him."Only way to get her up. Besides, the floors are charmed to cushion the fall."

"Allie, you hoe…" A groan came from somewhere down on the floor. "Mphath was mphat phor?" asked the muffled voice from beneath a pillow. "Pits Taturfay."

"Why, we've got quidditch practice, Katie darling!" Alicia sang out. "Mustn't be late, you know!"

A strange noise, remarkably similar to that of a person swearing repeatedly under their breath when lying in a cocoon of sheets, came from the little, unidentifiable heap on the floor. After a long moment of grumbling, the heap, it seemed, decided to say something actually coherent. "I ain't coming." It said finally in a muffled growl.

"Excuse me?" Alicia asked in an "omg-wtf-are-u-kidding-me?" sort of way. She stared at the heap with wide eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Lie and tell Wood it's that time of month, I'm too tired." The pile of sheets said flatly. "I don't care."

"But you just told him that last week." Alicia pointed out, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You're kind of taking advantage of him, Kates."

"Allie, do you seriously think Wood is smart enough to notice?" The heap asked bluntly. "I mean, I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but I'm not gonna lie, that guy is _really_ dumb. Besides, I'm not taking advantage of him. It's not my fault he's so ignorant. If he can't even keep a girlfriend for more than two weeks, he obviously wouldn't know crap about a girl's period."

Now, Katie Bell had made quite a few mistakes in life. Oh yes. Some little and some big. But still, quite a few mistakes after fifteen years of existence. At the present time, poor little Katie Bell was clearly unaware of the fact that Oliver Wood, her Quidditch obsessed freak of a captain, was right there, hearing every word coming out of her pretty little mouth. Unfortunately, many people would consider openly creating an excuse to neglect your duties and then insulting your superiors when they happen to be present in the same room as you, as a mistake leaning a bit towards the big side.

"Oh wow, Katie dear, you really shouldn't have said that." Alicia stated in a tone that clearly meant "you made a boo-boo, and I suggest you flee if you'd like to see the light again".

"Shut up, and leave me alone Allie. Oliver Wood can go screw a Quaffle."

Alicia's eyes widened in amusement and horror. _Damn, that girl was in for it. _She didn't really know if she should pity Katie, or laugh at her. Remembering that Oliver Wood was still in the room with her, however, she strode off to find her Quidditch robes. Best leave the two alone, eh?

Oliver, on the other hand, who now had his jaws clenched in anger, was quite furious to say the least. He couldn't believe it. To him, it was like… completely incomprehensible. That girl seriously needed to realize that she wasn't going to get anywhere if she didn't quit insulting him and move her arse. He narrowed his eyes, and glared at the heap of sheets on the floor. Indeed, Katie had skipped practice only last week and then she had the nerve to try and skip practice again? Basically, she was taking advantage of him, because he was a guy.

The next thing Katie heard after Alicia's footsteps was a deep, male voice saying quite coldly "For your information Bell, I've snogged plenty of girls, much more than the guys you'll probably ever have in your entire lifetime! So I suggest you get a move on… _right now_."

Katie's head snapped up. _Eh?_ That wasn't a girly voice she had heard. It was deep, discordant as if the person were a bit pissed, and sort of…manly. When did Alicia's voice get manly? And since when did Alicia snog girls…woah, wait a minute, Alicia snogged girls? _Holy crap!_ _Alicia!_ Except, something was wrong, it couldn't be Alicia… because of that voice. That voice, it sounded, almost Scottish. _Scottish?_ The dark haired girl opened one eye, looked around, and practically screamed bloody murder. Was it normal to wake up on a Saturday morning to see a seventeen year old (possible deranged) boy, glaring at you like he was going to murder you with his bare hands and then drag your body to the Forbidden Forest, where all the vicous, flesh eating animals could eat you, and then spit out your bones?

"MOTHER OF PEARL!" she screamed as realization finally dawned on her. Katie scrambled to her feet in the fastest speed her body could possibly function at. "I mean, uh. Hi, Oliver Wood. Good Captain. Our Brilliant Keeper! Fancy seeing you here. What an…erm… pleasant surprise…" she trailed off pathetically. Personally, Katie Bell feared for her life. He _was_ looking at her in a very mean-ish way. It was slightly disconcerting, to say the least. Hell, you would be scared too, if you were on the receiving end of that glare.

"Not smart enough to notice…eh?" Oliver snarled. "Thought you could lie to me, Bell? Go screw a Quaffle? Well, guess what? I've got something else to tell you, Bell. _No pain, no gain._ Yeah, that's right. So I expect to see _you_ on the Quidditch pitch in ten minutes." He said venomously. "And," he glared at her. "Not one second later. Ya hear?"

Katie swallowed and stood up. "O-oh, okay. Err…see you, there." She gave a nervous laugh. He was still glaring at her. She gulped. _Damn, Kates, what did you do?_ Katie sort of felt like she was going to throw up right about now. Maybe she'd better get to the bathroom. "Well, um, I'm going to… go now." She finished awkwardly, practically squeaking out the last part. And without another word, she bolted to the bathroom, running as fast as her short legs could take her, quickly slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Katie made it to practice somewhat on time, and played just as well as she usually did, which was actually really well, much to her deranged Captain's pleasure. In fact, Katie Bell played so well, that with twenty minutes of practice left, she was… much to _her_ displeasure, obnoxiously sore from last week, not to mention tired. 

Katie Bell didn't want to practice quidditch anymore. Nope, she really didn't for many reasons… A) She was sore. B) She was hungry. After all, she'd had to skip breakfast, no thanks to the stupid Quidditch Nazi that unfortunately lived in the same castle as her. C) She was tired. Again, due to the aforementioned horrible, evil person that unconveniently lived nearby. And D) She was sore. Of course, she couldn't explain her reasons for wanting to leave practice, because if she did, her deranged Quidditch Captain would probably yell at her to suck it up and take it.

Katie Bell didn't really feel like sucking it up and taking it at the present time. So, instead of watching Alicia, and then Angie, shoot goals against Oliver and evaluating their form, Katie Bell thought of excuses to leave practice.

"Alright, Bell. You're up next. Get the Quaffle past me three times, and we're done."

_What, my turn already? Shit on a stick!_ _Umm, err…_"I have to pee." Katie lied.

Oliver narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. "Don't you dare give me that crap…" He warned dangerously. "I'm not gonna take it. Now, shoot the quaffle past me, and you can go."

_Mother of pearl, he's pissed!_ "But I really have to pee." Katie whined, making a pleading face at Oliver. "_Really_ badly. Can't you just let me go? _Pleeease?_"

"Hmm, let me think… how about _no_." Oliver said bluntly.

"Why?" Katie asked boldly. "I can't help it, what if I have a small bladder? What if I pee my pants?"

"The last time you said you were going to pee your pants, I let you go, and you hid in the locker room for half an hour and came back when practice was over." Oliver stated, crossing his arms and glaring at Katie. "And you're wondering why I'm not letting you go?"

"I never hid in the locker room for half an hour!" Katie cried out indignantly. "That's a lie!"

"Oh yeah?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow. "Ask Angelina. Ask Harry, ask anybody. You were in there for thirty minutes. Possibly more."

_Ugh, shit! _"Well, umm, whatever." Katie mumbled, giving up the case. "The point is," she said more loudly, raising her chin up and looking at Oliver defiantly, "I have to pee."

"Fine." Oliver said coolly. He glanced down at his watch. "You've got a minute. I'm timing. Go."

Katie blinked stupidly.

"What's the matter, Bell? You've got a minute, I'm letting you go, so go."

"Idonhavtogoanymoe."

Oliver raised an eyebrow, tilting his head a little. "Pardon?" He asked politely, though he knew full well what Katie had said.

"I don't have to go anymore." Katie mumbled, staring at the handle of her broom. "It can, uh…wait."

"Yeah, that's what I thought." Oliver stated calmly. "Now get your arse over there, and PLAY SOME QUIDDITCH!" He barked, roughly throwing the Quaffle at Katie.

"Ow." Katie grumbled to herself, as she flew towards the opposite side of the pitch. "For Merlin's sake, you didn't have to hit me in the boob."

* * *

"Do you think if I ever puked all over the pitch, he'd let me leave early?" Katie asked curiously, nudging Angelina. The four of them were walking back from Quidditch practice, Katie, a bit annoyed and tired at the moment. 

"Eh, I'm betting no." George stated casually. "The moron would probably make you clean it up, and then make you get back on your broom."

"Yeah, actually, the moron probably would." Fred agreed.

"Hmm…" Katie stated, her face screwed up in concentration. "Do you think if I puked all over _him_, he'd let me leave?"

"Well, maybe." Fred replied, thoughtfully. "I've got to ponder out the situation a bit more, but I'm guessing that he'd probably just get really mad and make you wipe it off."

"He'd make you wipe it off." George confirmed, with a curt nod.

"What if I puked all over the pitch, then puked all over him, and then called him a 'fat pimp' just for good measure? Do you think he'd let me leave then?"

Alicia suddenly burst out laughing, clutching on to Katie for support. "Oh merlin, Katie."

"You know, by then, I think he'd just be so pissed at you that he'd _make_ you leave." Fred stated shortly.

"Katie, you should be grateful he's not in a bad mood any more." Angelina stated firmly, as she looked pointedly at Katie. Angie _always_ empathized with their bloody, almost perpetually irascible Captain. "If I were Captain…" Angelina's face took on a sort of dreamy appearance after this, despite the second half of her sentence, "I'd probably be pretty pissed at you too."

"Yeah, I know" Katie stated, letting out a breath. "I seriously thought he was going to kill me after he heard what I said."

"Yeah, he's sort of scary." Alicia admitted.

"And he's a freakish git." Katie added, frowning distastefully. "How did he come to wake us up anyway? I thought it was a girl's dormitory. I mean, like, how weird."

"Who knows?" Angelina stated, as she shrugged carelessly, the dreamy expression still etched on her face.

Katie shook her head, deep in thought. "Hey, you wanna know what I think?" She said suddenly, sounding oddly serious.

"Yeah, what?" Fred asked, in an amused tone.

"Oliver Wood." She said simply.

"Yeah, what about him?" George prodded.

"Oliver Wood, maybe," she started, "just maybe, he's a... hermaphrodite."

…

Fred fell on the floor, clutching his stomach.

"Kates, dear. Never thought you had it in you." Fred stated, patting her on the back between guffaws.

Angelina smiled, and Alicia looked disgusted. (That's so gross, Kates!)

"Hey, think about it." Katie stated defensively, though she had just been kidding. "That's why he can get into the girls dormitories to wake us up, even though it's guarded by an ancient spell. The staircase is so confused as to what sex he represents, it just lets him pass through either one, without turning into a slide. And, get this! It also explains why he has a new girlfriend, like every two weeks. See, after he gets a little sexual, they discover his deep dark secret, then he puts powerful memory charms on them, or threatens them, or something, so they don't let out his secret. And that's why they end up running around crying."

"Wow, Kates. You have a really weird imagination. But, I have to admit, it _is_ funny."

"Oh yes, Bell." A distinct voice stated suddenly from nearby, causing Katie and her friends to stop talking. "Most definitely. You're just so funny, I think I'm gonna laugh my bloody arse off."

5 individual heads turned to regard a certain furious looking, freak of a Quidditch captain.

Standing right there, behind them.

Katie thought she was going to throw up. Again.

As if to make the sight of their Captain even more daunting, Oliver Wood was in the middle of his own group of seventh year friends, and all of them were standing together like a sort of pack, staring at Katie.

The twins let out a low whistle. "Busted." Fred and George muttered quietly. An awkward silence resumed soon after that, and Katie bit her lip. _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit…_ Oliver was glaring at her again. She mentally cringed. _Should I run…?_ "Uh...I was just kidding." She mumbled feebly. Why did Oliver have to bloody be here at the _worst_ times? Was he stalking her or something?

Oliver, in fact, didn't think it was the least bit funny. Actually, he was apoplectic to put it mildly. He couldn't really understand what kinds of things ran through _that girl_, Katie Bell's head. She was always so… infuriating. And she was only fifteen too. What was she anyway, like five foot one? She thought she was _all that_ or something; did she have some sort of attitude problem? He'd admit, he had thought her spunk was cute at times, but it wasn't cute when she used it to insult her own Quidditch Captain, oh hell no. _That insignificant little bratty little smartass-y little girl…_Who the hell did she think she was anyway? Calling other, _older_ people hermaphrodites, why, he could easily chuck her short ass little self into the lake, _one-handed_.

"That's it, Bell." Oliver stated in the calmest tone he could muster at the moment, as he narrowed his eyes at her. "Private practice. Just you and me. 4 am, tomorrow morning. No excuses." With that said, he smirked and strode away, ready to give that cute, but annoying Katie Bell a piece of his mind. _More like a killer practice, actually._ He grinned evilly. 4 am in the morning? _Damn._ He was good. It didn't even occur to Oliver that in order to have a private four am practice with Katie Bell, he himself would actually have to get up at four am. No, Oliver didn't think that far. Katie wasn't really lying when she said he was sort of dumb.

While Oliver walked away, however, there was only one thought registered in little Katie Bell's mind. _Oh shit. _

Meanwhile, Oliver's friends wouldn't leave him alone, as they walked down the hall.

"Dude, we all think you should hook up with that Bell girl, she's kinda cute, you know." Oliver's friend, Spencer, stated as he nudged Oliver in the shoulder.

"Ew, no way, mate!" Oliver replied instantly, shaking his head quickly. "She's a _fifth_ year." He added, as if that were enough to end the discussion.

"So?" Spencer shrugged, a grin appearing on his face. "Like I said, she's cute."

Oliver let out a laugh, and shook his head again. "No way, man." He said casually. "I mean, I guess she's kinda cute, but she can be annoying as hell sometimes."

"She doesn't seem _that_ annoying." Spencer reasoned. "She's just really…" he paused, unable to find the right word to describe the fifth year girl they were talking about.

"Random? Crazy? Obnoxious?" Oliver asked, raising an eyebrow at Spencer.

Spencer grinned again. "I was kinda leaning more towards… fun. I mean, she's different, you know, she does her own thing. You don't see that in every girl."

"I agree." Another friend, Cody, stated, entering the conversation.

Oliver gave Cody a "where the hell did you come from?" look, and Cody just grinned in response. "I still think she's annoying, though." Oliver stated flatly.

"Okay, okay, I give up." Spencer stated, raising his hands up as a sign of surrender. "But I still think you'd have more fun on one date with _her_, than you'll ever have with Pamela."

"Oh dammit!" Oliver groaned, suddenly stopping in his path. "I forgot about Pamela! What am I going to say to her?" He whined, his expression suddenly changing to one of exasperation, as he looked pleadingly at his friend. "I can't just tell her that she's boring and I'm sick of her."

Spencer sighed. "Dude, why are you even asking? Just say what you always say, you know, that you're better off being friends or something. Just keep it short."

"Yeah, I guess that'll have to do." Oliver said almost to himself, as they continued on their way. "Hey, we cut through the classroom, remember?" He stated, gesturing to his friends to remind them of the shorter route, and following his lead the group of seventh year guys cut across.

Katie watched Oliver walk away, instantly regretting waking up at all this morning. Why, for the love of Merlin, did stupid Allie have to wake her up? Couldn't she understand that her poor friend was delirious? Were they even allowed on the quidditch field at four in the morning? Wasn't there some crazy curfew she could suddenly remember to help save her butt tomorrow?

"Hey, look guys." Katie said suddenly, turning backwards to face her friends. While she had been internally complaining, she had randomly stuffed two Quaffles under her shirt in an attempt to cheer herself up. "I'm pregnant." She placed two hands on her back, and pushed her stomach out. "It's twins." She said matter of factly.

"Katie Bell, I must say-" Fred started, staring at Katie as if she had truly lost her mind.

"-What the _hell_?" George finished, staring at Katie with a somewhat similar expression as his brother's.

Katie's face fell. "Hey, I was just trying to have a laugh, before I die tomorrow. I'd rather die knowing I've lived my life with plenty of laughs than die doleful and bitter, disappointed with society."

"Oh, well, that's understandable then." Alicia stated, patting Katie's shoulder sympathetically. After knowing her friend for more than six years, she was quite used to her randomness.

"Alright, then, Kates." Angelina said with a smile, playing along. "Wanna tell us who the father is?"

Katie thought for a second and then she grinned. "Oh yeah," she said casually, "we had our one night of passion a long time ago. It's Oliver Wood."

"OI, BELL!" A thick, Scottish voice, obviously angered, and oddly familiar, roared from right behind her.

Katie froze, and her quaffles fell out from under her shirt.

Slowly, oh so slowly, Katie turned around, her eyes wide in the horror of what she might possibly see if her luck truly sucked. Sure enough, her eyes focused on a tall, Scottish boy with dark brown hair and an angry face, who was currently towering over her, seething.

_MOTHER OF PEARL!_ Katie's eyes went wide. How the hell did _he_ get here? Oh crap, wasn't there some sort of explanation as to why he was always here at the worst times? Looking up at him, she couldn't really tell what Oliver was feeling at the moment, except that he seemed sort of mad. _Really_ mad. And one of Oliver's friends, Spencer, if she recalled correctly, seemed to be having a silent seizure in the background, oh dear. Finally deciding it was better if she said something, Katie spoke. "Um... hi Oliver. Wood." She added, nervously. "I was um, just kidding. Ha. Ha." She stated awkwardly, attempting to lighten the mood. "Funny stuff, huh?"

Oliver glared at her.

* * *

- 

Hah. Sorry, I know I promised the meeting between Oliver and Katie, but that's coming in chapter four. I decided to add in this chapter so you'd have an idea of what Katie and Oliver's relationship used to be like. Yeah, I know, she's super ditzy, and seems really crazy. C'mon, work with me here, though. Rest assured, because, obviously, it's going to be a lot different when they meet up again, because, well, Katie's changed. As hinted before, she's not going to be the random, crazy-but-cute/fun Katie that she used be. If you want, you can even give me suggestions to make her less ditzy, but keep the fun factor.

And since I uploaded this chapter in place of chapter one, if you've reviewed before, then review chapter three, or submit an anonymous review or something. Because no reviews means no new ficcy. Yeah, that's right, lol, I'm such a review whore. Right now, we've got 67. Get me up to 82, kay babies? Oh yeah, and that being pregnant thing, I actually did that once, except with tennis balls, in which case it probably looked even weirder. It's where I got the inspiration, kids.

Hugs to: AbbyKat0529, amazoness, aznchic2009, buffy the slayer, charming flirt, Dark Princess of the Light, dragonchick29, English eyes, fleur137, Hellzfirefly, Hydrochloric Acid Pop (I heart u, puthar!), inflatabletigers, inkblot88, IShouldTellYou, Ladypup, Lupin-in-my-heart, Melsterchaos, Pearl goddess, ragsnhphg, Sirael, sockrgoddess12, TheOneAndOnlyElbereth, too cute to boot, DaOnleeSam, whisperkey, Spork, Kermitthefrag99 (hey baby!), Murder's Angel, litprincess, HyperonCookies, readswim04, BB, AARDVARK, cho-kaoru88, Black Flaming Heart, FizzingWhizbees, milui, Apathetically Interested, Winderwonderland, soccer bitch, Chris, randomization, Rowenhood, xLaceMeWithWindx, Bon Bear (luv u!), Sea of Reeds, Seishi Saurensonu, Spazzattack, Menolly Harper, Walken on sunshine, marylovesharry, and Joyfullsong01.

Sorry if I forgot you, just kindly scream your head off at me, and I promise I'll thank you. But those thank you's took effing forever, so you better be grateful, hoes. Um, jk, jk. But they did take a while.

I luv u. Now press that cute little purple thing over to the left.

Wow, I'm tired and I've got a butt load of homework to do. (passes out)


	2. Kiss Me Sunshine

_You've a Good Heart, Katie Bell_

By CarbonMonoxide

**Full Summary:** After Katie Bell graduated, she left her best friends, Alicia and Angelina to become an Auror. Nobody saw hair or hide of her for four whole years. Now, 23 year old Oliver Wood, is the handsome, successful, young Captain and Keeper of Puddlemere United. The Ministry has arranged for an International Professional Quidditch Tour, where Quidditch teams from around the globe will gather in England. Poor Ollie keeps hearing about the beautiful Chaser and exAuror from America, Katherine.

Why, oh why is she so oddly familiar?

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, dear children, I only make their lives more interesting.

This story is being reposted completely from scratch, after intense editing and plot bending. I mean, I liked the idea and all, but I was only like fourteen when I started writing this as my first ff piece, so it wasn't all that great. The story was slightly AU, and I think I made Katie seem like some Mary Sue clone. Hopefully now, I'm a bit more experienced and my writing style has developed some. But I guess we'll just have to see, won't we... :)

- - - -

_And good morning, Oahu! Time right now is 6:35 and you're tuned into 101.8 FM on the Wireless Wizarding Network. Weather's looking up this morning, fairly blue skies, and about 88 degrees this afternoon. Waves are great for surfing, so all you beach bums, head on out! Coming up we'll be playing "Kiss Me Sunshine" by a local group of rising stars, The Beachfront Boys. And that's next, right here, right now, on WWN 101.8…_

A tanned arm reached out from beneath white sheets to drag the covers down, revealing a mass of curly dark brown hair, spread out every which way.

Katherine Bell pulled herself out of bed, and stretched, raising her arms above her head as she did so.

_Oh Merlin, another morning…_

Smiling slightly, just for the hell of it, the dark haired woman stepped over to her bathroom. After grabbing her toothbrush, and squirting a bit of mint toothpaste onto it, Katherine stuck the blue toothbrush in her mouth, and walked over to her small verandah that was almost required of these sorts of beach front apartments on the island. Gently moving aside the sheer white curtains that swayed softly from the occasional morning breeze, the brunette woman instantly felt the warmth of the weather as she stepped out onto the balcony. The delicate heat seemed to seep through her bare arms, and warm them through to her shoulders.

_"So, baby, hug me blue skies, and kiss me sunshine."_

If Katherine didn't have a toothbrush sticking out of her mouth, she would've smiled again, as a gentle breeze swept aside her hair from atop her shoulders. It was just so _nice_ like this. The peaceful rhythmic sounds of the waves lapping at the shore provided her with a sense of calm that she had never had before this. She gazed, almost entranced, at the orange pink glow emerging from the East. It spread across the sky like a large colorful ink stain, on a dark piece of parchment. Like an angel spreading its wings, like a mother opening her arms to her children. Reassuring and so protective. So loving.

_"Hold me butterflies, and kiss me sunshine."_

She placed her elbows on the metal iron railing, one hand brushing her teeth. She paused momentarily, as she looked down to examine the exposed side of her left arm. She would've been completely revolted by the site, in all honesty, if it weren't for the heavy sense of oppression that it brought to her, instead.

The marks had not left entirely, and somewhere in the darkest recesses of her mind she knew they never would. They were light, only thin, slightly pale streaks across her wrists and up her arms, but they were a constant reminder of a horrifying past she had tried to leave behind. Of course, no one noticed them. No one ever came close enough to see them, and they weren't that visible anyway. And no one but her knew how they got there, where the marks came from, why they were there. No, nobody knew. She liked it best that way.

Discouraged at her sudden self pity, Katherine pulled away from the railing, and entered her now almost bare bedroom, to go wash out her mouth. _You've got no one to blame, but yourself. It was your responsibility, and you chose to take it. So get over it, already._

No, she hadn't been some type of cutter or self injurer. Oh no. These marks came from something else, not blades. It was being held hostage, hours of ceaseless interrogation, and days being bound that did it. Of course, in reality, those marks were nothing compared to the emotional scarring.

After she had finished brushing her teeth and showered, dressed in a light blue sun dress, she ventured into her kitchen, and opened a cabinet to her left. Almost mechanically, she pulled out various color coded bottles and set them on the table. After all, she did this nearly every morning. It became a habit after a while.

_One of these, one of these, and two of these._

She tipped the bottle over slightly in her palm, and a couple tiny blue pills fell into her hand. Tilting her head back, she threw the few pills into her mouth and snatched up a glass of water, to take a sip and swallow.

She had a doctor's appointment today. She'd also need to restock on prescription before she left. She'd have to finish packing, then too, and get the details of their Floo Travel to England from her Captain.

Setting the now empty glass on her counter, Katherine picked up a banana that was lying in the fruit basket, also grabbing her wand that was nearby.

She always went for a walk in the morning. It was just her routine. And honestly speaking, she clung to routine like a life line.

* * *

"Yeah… right." stated a 23 year old Oliver Wood, as he rubbed his neck, a roguish smile creeping onto his face. "Me and Melissa, we're over, yeah? I'm with this Harpies chick now." 

Oliver Wood.

Most Eligible Bachelor of the Year according to _Bewitched _magazine. Youngest Quidditch Captain to be appointed in six centuries, and Keeper and Captain of the Puddlemere United Professional Quidditch team.

"No way! You broke up with that Mel already?" Tom Landers asked incredulously. "Merlin, is it even possible for you to keep a girlfriend for more than two months?"

"Whatever, mate." Oliver said, shrugging his shoulders. "I get bored of the same woman, okay? I like new people, routine is just _so_ dreary. After all, variety is the spice of life."

"Yeah, right." Tom said, rolling his eyes, as he dropped his broom onto a bench. "Believe me. One day you're going to find a woman who you'll want to stay with for the rest of your life, and if she leaves you, it's going to hurt like hell."

Oliver raised his eyebrows, and a slight smirk formed on his face. "Why would any woman want to leave me, in the first place?"

"Oh Merlin, yeah, that's what you think _now_." Tom grumbled. "You're young, you're invincible. And you haven't been in love, yet. But come twenty years from now, if you haven't found that special someone to spend the rest of your life with, you're gonna hate yourself, mate."

"Yeah, okay, sure. What's the deal with love, anyway? It's just a temporary _feeling _of elation. I tell everybody I love them, does it mean anything? Hell no. I'm telling you man, it's completely overrated." Oliver replied nonchalantly, as he led the way into the main lobby of the Puddlemere United Training pitch. Most of his team was gathered here, waiting for any last words from their Captain before they'd get to leave for the day.

"Alright team, head's up." Oliver called out. "So I'm supposed to tell you, if you haven't heard already. This year the Ministry's Department of Magical Games and Sports has set up an International Professional Quidditch Tournament. This means pro Quidditch teams from across the globe will be coming to play against us here in England. Since England is where the tournament is taking place, we won't have to go anywhere. The other teams will come to us."

"Cool. Sounds like fun." Dave Carson, Puddlemere United Beater, said, as he lay back on the couch in the extravagant room..

"We'll get to meet pro Quidditch players from around the world. That should be interesting." Chelsea Martin, another Chaser, remarked thoughtfully. "I've always wanted to try a bamboo broom, but those have to be specially manufactured in China."

Oliver was now slumped back on the couch, flipping through a Quidditch catalog even as he spoke. "Yeah, cool. Anyway," Oliver started, lazily tossing the magazine aside. "Good practice today. Our first game of the season won't be until after the International Tour begins. Most of the players should be arriving this week." He said casually, running a hand through his hair.

"The Ministry's hosting this huge exhibition for the Tour, and we're supposed to be there. So, unless there are any questions, I'll see you all then, alright?" Oliver finished.

"Sound's good to me!" Todd Stevens, another Chaser, declared audaciously, jumping up from his position on the floor. "Bye guys, Muah! I got a hot date tonight! Can't be late!"

"Oh great." Chelsea stated, rolling her eyes, before she too left to put away her broom.

* * *

Katherine pulled open the glass door to the clinic, walking up to the middle aged witch at the front desk, who was trying to organize a folder of documents. 

The woman looked up at Katherine from her work and immediately offered a warm smile, her red framed glasses resting on the bridge of her nose.

"Last time you'll ever be in here, isn't it Kate?" the witch asked, peering up through her square spectacles, as she passed Katherine the sign in board.

Katherine smiled back at the kind woman, as she held the quill to write out her signature. "You're right on that one, Mary."

The reception shook her head, amused, as she took the clip board back from Katherine. "I'm going to miss seeing you around, that's for sure. Have a seat, Kate. Healer Jones will be with you in a minute."

_Fifteen Minutes Later._

"So, how're you feeling, Kate? You look a lot better, that's for sure."

"Pretty good, Healer Jones. I don't think I've felt this way in so long, you know? I feel content. Carefree. I'm more relaxed these days."

The elderly mediwitch nodded, as she pulled out a clipboard.

"Well, all that Quidditch has certainly worked its magic on you. I haven't seen you this happy in a long time. I saw an article about you in the paper, the other day." She added, as an afterthought. "Top Ten Chasers with the highest scoring average? Number three? I'm impressed, Kate. I'm just glad you've found something you really love."

Katherine smiled faintly, bowing her head to examine her fingers. Honestly speaking, it was true. She loved Quidditch. Just feeling the wind through her hair made her forget every single worry she'd ever had. And all those years before, she'd never had time to do something for herself. It was all about other people. It was all about the greater good.

"Now, Kate," the gray haired woman started, as she seated herself before Katherine. "I just have to do a final evaluation before you leave us, once and for all."

Katherine nodded, understanding.

"Alright, let's begin. Any flashbacks, nightmares, replaying the memories in your head, recently?"

Katherine shook her head, no.

"Any sudden waves of emotion?"

Again, no.

"Do you have difficulty breathing, chest tightness, feelings of faintness, feeling a loss of control, when reminded of the incidents?"

"No."

The questions continued.

"Well, Kate," the elderly mediwitch started. "Three weeks with prescription Zoloft, and you've made rapid progress. I'm really impressed. I think you have Quidditch to thank, as well as moving to Hawaii, for this. Pursuing a Quidditch career really helped in having a speedy recovery. It's something you love to do. And a change of scenery can often work wonders. So…" she continued. "I've got some good news. Although, you'll need to continue taking medication for the next year or so, you no longer exhibit any recent symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder." Healer Jones turned to face Katherine. "You're on the road to recovery, Katherine. I've given you prescription for the next four months, but after that, you're going to need to find another psychiatrist in England to complete your regular check ups." The elderly woman took a deep breath, contemplating what to say next. "And I know I shouldn't say this, it goes against my work code, but I've truly enjoyed having you as my patient. You were a special case to me. And I have to say, it was an amazing experience. I only hope that you can continue to live life the way it was meant to be lived."

"Healer Jones…" Katherine started, as she stood up, feeling a lump starting to form in the back of her throat.

A smiling Healer Elizabeth Jones shook her head up as she stood up and stuck her hand out, her old eyes shining.

"Take care of yourself, Kate. That's all I ask. Just take care of yourself."

Katherine nodded slightly, as she bit her lip. She could already feel the heavy sense of dread, anxiousness, and even sadness pulling her slowly into its ugly, frightening grasp. She hated all these goodbyes. And what scared her the most was knowing that in only two days time she would be heading back to England.

England. England. England.

Katherine fiddled with the wand in her fingers, twisting it every which way, as she sat on the sand of the now nearly deserted beach.

She had left behind so much.

Though she always attempted to push it out of her head, there was nothing she could do to prevent the memories from flooding in, like a great torrent of water cascading down a fall, they rushed through her head without any warning of their coming. And just like every other time she thought about England, she realized, once, twice, three times or more, how much she had really left behind. All her friends, Alicia, Angelina, her classmates from Hogwarts, her life, everything she ever knew. Sometimes when she looked back at the fifteen year old Kates that she used to be, she found she couldn't recognize the short little brunette girl who never woke up in time for Quidditch practice and who did her Astronomy homework in Charms and her Charms in Transfiguration, and who laughed for no reason and tripped down stairs and threw rude gestures at Slytherins behind their back and ate ice cream when it rained…no, it always seemed to catch her by surprise. Surely, she wasn't like that now. Surely, she wasn't.

With a sudden unidentifiable urge, Katherine brought out her wand and traced the letters in her head neatly into the sand.

_K A T E S_

And she stood there for a long time, watching the name. It had been nearly four years since she had even heard it aloud. Now that she looked at it again, and though she tried to deny it, somewhere, a little, tiny part of her longed to be that carefree, happy Kates that she once used to be.

Only two days. Just forty eight hours.

* * *

- - - 

Wow. (deep breathing) First chapter down, a lot more to go! Yay! So how was it?

I really hope I've done good with rewriting this story, I threw a lot of reviews out the window, so to speak, and I really, really need reviews telling me if I need to continue or whatever. I'm aiming for at least 15 reviews on this one, that's how much I got on my first written one. So…be a doll and review, oh pretty please?


	3. Killing Me Softly

_You've a Good Heart, Katie Bell_

By CarbonMonoxide

**Full Summary:** When you fall in love, the world stops. Love is nothing but sentimental bull shit. Love is when you'd rather die than live without. There's no such thing as true love. Love makes the world go round. Love is just some crackpot joke that old novel writers make up. Love always exists within ourselves. Love only exists in people who need a reality slap… What is love anyway?

Disclaimer: Yeah right. Go taste the rainbow.

**IMPORTANT:** If you've read this story already before my chapter 3, then you've got to **go back and read Chapter 1**, its the recently 06 uploaded chapter, not this one. This chapter was just bumped from 2 to 3 as a result of the upload of a new chapter 1.

Thanks to all of my wonderful reviewers! I love all of you guys, and I took all of your comments/suggestions to heart! I don't really like the new personal reply thing, because I just think it's weird, if you wrote a review like a month ago, and the author is a bit slow (like me), then they'll reply a month later, and when you get the email, you're like… wtf? It's an internet stalker!

Lol, yeah, aneeway. So I won't really reply unless you asked a question or gave some advice or something, but that doesn't mean I love you any less. Okay, yeah, on to the next chapter, I'll shut the hell up already.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, there's kind of a gory/makes me wanna hurl scene coming up, it's not too bad, but I'll put a ':9' by it, so you kinda know, and aren't like…gonna vomit on your keyboard or something.

* * *

"Angie, I can't believe you brought me along!" Alicia Spinnet grumbled as she accidentally bumped up against her friend. "I'm always just sitting there bored out of my mind. And I'm so tired! I could be sleeping right now." She stated sourly, as she accidentally pushed her dark haired friend again as a result of her distraction. 

"Ow, watch it!" Angelina mumbled, as she was shoved against the glass door of the Three Broomsticks. "And quit whining, I brought you along because George is going to be here, okay? That's how much of a good friend I am, I actually _care_ about your love life." She stated, as she pulled a grouchy blonde haired woman into the warmth of the bustling little café. "Don't be a cow. And quit pouting, it makes your face look fat." She added, turning around, and not even looking at Alicia. She stretched her neck trying to find two masses of bright red hair sticking out from the crowd.

"Oh god, well thanks a lot, Miss Mom." Alicia huffed, but she did indeed soften the Mr. Grumpy look on her face. "And for your infor-"

"Look, there they are!" Angelina exclaimed, pulling Alicia towards a table where two redheads were waving frantically, well actually, only one was waving frantically. The other seemed to be slouching in his seat, a _genuine_ Mr. Grumpy look on his face.

"See look, he doesn't even want to see me." Alicia whispered in an annoyed tone as they made their way over to the table.

Angelina only huffed and shook her head, leading the way, until they reached the twins.

"Hey baby!" Fred exclaimed immediately, as he jumped up and nearly threw himself at Angie to catch her in a rather tight hug. "Sweetheart! Honey! Apple of my eye, diamond in the sky-"

"Hi Fred." Angelina said simply holding onto him, before she moved to kiss him.

And if you thought it was just a cute, little welcome kiss, then my god, were you wrong.

_Uh…_ Alicia honestly didn't know what to do. She couldn't even try and take a seat, because Angie was standing right in her way, sucking face, right in front of her. She averted her gaze, and caught a glance of George, who had only rolled his eyes at the snogging couple, before turning around to lock eyes with a pretty lady at a nearby table.

"Err, excuse me…" She asked in a small voice. _Oh hell! Why do they do this to me? I told her I didn't want to come. _Alicia finally cleared her throat rather loudly, tapping Angie on the shoulder. _To hell with manners._

At last, Fred and Angelina broke apart, having the decency to at least look embarrassed.

"Eh, sorry. Got a little carried away there." An out of breath and slightly red faced Fred stated. "Hi Alicia. Come on, have a seat."

Alicia smiled politely, setting her handbag down. _Thank Merlin._ Shooting a quick _'I'm going to bloody kill you!' _look at an apologetic faced Angie; she slipped into a seat beside her dark haired friend and across from George, who merely nodded at her.

Alicia wanted to kick Angie…badly.

Nearly twenty minutes had passed, and the blonde haired woman was bored out of her mind. The only people even trying to maintain conversation were Angelina and Fred, while George would nod and she would smile politely every once in a while. Obviously, George was bored, just like her. But unlike her, he made no effort to cover it.

_Stupid git._ She couldn't even believe she had used to have a crush on him. Of course, that had been in her fifth year, and she had been slightly, well… disproportional at that age. Back then, Angie had been the tall, lean one, that all the guys went after, Katie was the little short and shrimpy one that all the guys either picked on or protected, and Alicia…well, she had been the medium height, slightly, _slightly, _chubby one that all the guys (except for Eugene Humphrey) pretty much forgot was a girl. But nevertheless, her little infatuation with George Weasley ended the day he called her thunder thighs. And sure, it might've been true then, but Alicia Caroline Spinnet held grudges.

For a long time.

Of course, Angelina still thought her friend fancied the younger twin. At the time, Alicia had only told Katie about the end of her little obsession with George, and they had both agreed to tell Angie later, but she'd never gotten around to it. Six years, an obsession, and a pair of slimmer thighs later, Katie was gone somewhere, and she still hadn't told Angie…

Katie.

_Whatever happened to her?_

Katie had been a year younger then all of them, but somehow she had managed to keep in touch with Angelina and Alicia while she was in school. Of course, they had all come to her graduation and to the funeral of their old headmaster. That was when she had told them.

It had come as quite a bit of a surprise, when Katie had quietly informed them that she'd been accepted into the Auror Academy, and would begin training in less than one month's time.

Alicia secretly supposed it had something to do with the necklace. Yes, Leanne had immediately written to Angelina and herself explaining what had happened at Hogsmeade that day. The necklace incident had probably opened Katie's eyes to the world of evil and danger, and war.

But she was sure even Angelina had never imagined Katie becoming an Auror. I mean, Katie? An Auror? That short girl who never woke up on time, and tripped down stairs, and made faces at Marcus Flint, and had the fastest pass on the whole team? _No way. _She had always envisioned Katie doing something with Quidditch. Maybe that was only because Quidditch was such a big part of their lives at the time. But still. Katie as an Auror? No. Just no.

"Hey!"

Alicia was suddenly jolted out of her memories at the loud outburst. She looked up just in time to see George nudging his brother. "Hey Fred, isn't that Harry over there?"

"Holy shi- crap, yeah that's him!" The older twin exclaimed. "Oye Harry!" He yelled loudly. Obviously, the young man didn't even care about the fact that he was attracting nearly every single person's attention in the cafe. "HARRY POTTER! Boy who lived and lived again! OVER HERE, MATE!"

Nearly two minutes later, after fighting through a throng of his fan club, a panting and slightly dazed Harry Potter reached their table. "What is it?" He rushed, in a slightly panicky voice. "Did you see a Death Eater or something? Or is this about Ginny, because I swear we didn't do any-"

Fred smiled, cutting the twenty year old off. "Have a seat, Harry. We just haven't talked to our favorite Gryffindor Seeker in a long time. Though, now that you mentioned it, I did want to tell you something about Gins, but that's for another day…"

One butterbeer, and twenty minutes of greetings and light conversations later, all five of them had settled into a comfortable, peaceful silence.

"Hey, you know something?" Angelina asked suddenly, breaking the silence, as she looked at everybody at the table, her light brown eyes sparkling in excitement. "This reminds me of our little pre match breakfast meetings that we used to have back at Hogwarts. You know, when all of us would sit and pick at our food because we'd be so nervous, and Oliver would yell at us to eat…"

"Except Oliver's not here." George added.

"And Katie Bell." Alicia said quickly. "Katie's not here."

Angelina frowned slightly, staring at the table. "Whatever happened to Katie? I haven't heard from her in Merlin knows how long. If I didn't miss her so much, I'd probably be mad." Angelina paused, her face softening slightly, at the mention of one her best friends. "Maybe she found someone and settled down." She added quietly. "I mean, I sent her about two hundred owls begging her to just tell me how she was doing."

"And she never replied." Alicia said softly, gazing at the mug in her hand. "Not to a single one."

"You- you mean you don't know?" His hesitant voice broke through the heavy silence that had begun to settle in.

All eyes immediately flicked to the young man with messy black hair, who was wearing a slightly worried frown. His eyes widened, as he looked at everyone, realizing the meaning of their questioning gaze. "You, you really don't know?" He asked slowly, obviously surprised.

No one seemed to respond, they only glanced at Harry, looking puzzled.

"No, I don't think we do." George said finally. "You know what happened to Katie?"

Harry sighed softly, staring intently at the mug in his hands. "It's kind of a long story." He started. "You do know that after Katie graduated, she went right into Auror training, right? Well, ever since the war had started, the Ministry was running on a severe lack of Aurors. To make things worse, Vol-, uh, I mean you-know-who," he added hastily, "was gaining support outside of Europe too. They started having Death Eater attacks in America and Canada. The Ministry selected a few second year trainees to go help out over there. You know, they wanted to stamp out the Death Eater's and stop them from spreading their beliefs as soon as possible."

Alicia cast a nervous glance at Angie, as the man paused.

"Katie was picked to go." Harry said quietly, swallowing the lump that was beginning to form in his throat. "Alone. Sometime later, we heard she managed to fight off the Imperius. The…" Harry's voice cracked slightly. "The last we heard about her, she was being noted Missing in Action. That was three years ago."

A hushed silence filled the air, so deafeningly quiet, it felt like someone was silently screaming. Nobody knew what to say. Alicia had long since forgotten the cold butterbeer mug in her hand, and she felt sick.

"That's all I know." Harry said softly, almost whispering. "I'm sorry guys. I'm sorry."

* * *

:9 (2 years earlier. Manhattan, New York. 3 AM.) 

_"So, Katie Bell." _

Katie bit back a scream of rage, as the Death Eater loomed closer.

The invisible ropes binding her wrists behind her back, tightened, and it burned.

He was only a few feet away.

She hated this position. Crouched on her knees. It made her feel so weak, so inferior.

And now he was right in front of her.

"I never thought I'd see the day good little Auror Katie Bell was at my mercy. I've heard much about you, Ms. Bell. Gave some of our henchmen a bit of a scare the other day, didn't you? You and that pathetic agency. If they keep it up any longer, their government will surely go to hell."

"Let me go." Katie whispered weakly. Though she whispered it, and though she knew there was little chance of the Death eater actually heeding her words, the disgust was evident in her voice.

The Death Eater gave a chuckle. Dry and cold. And it echoed in the alleyway, like a bloodcurdling scream loud enough to chill your bones.

"Oh now, don't be selfish dear. Do you really think I would do such a thing? After all, this is isn't _all_ about you, is it? No, it definitely isn't." He stated condescendingly, his mask nearly glowing in the dark light of the alleyway. "You see, one by one, ever so slowly, we'll bring your side down. Today we caught one. Tomorrow they'll send someone to look for you, and when they do, we'll get him too. Soon one turns into four, four turns into eight, and eight turns into every last one. The Agency can only risk so many lives. They'll be forced to surrender eventually. And when they do, _you_, good little Samaritan, can be in two positions."

Katie waited, silently. The beating of her heart roared deafeningly in her ears, every part of her body screaming in agonizing pain. Though she continued to shiver, she had long since forgotten the dull stinging of the cold, more preoccupied with the coursing pain of her own burning skin.

"Oh yes. When this is over, you can be in two positions, little Auror. You could be rich, successful, with someone to obey your every order, your every qualm every second of every day, you could live comfortably, and you could live as one of us. Or… you could be dead. And your mangled, worthless body would lay forgotten on some deserted road, reeking of rotting flesh, your organs ripped savagely from your own body, your blood splattered on the ground."

_Your organs scattered, and your blood splattered._

Katie's throat nearly closed up, as waves of intense nausea began to wash over her, and horrifying mental images began to form in her head. She felt sick to her stomach, yet she could not vomit. The heavy metallic taste of blood in her mouth only made it worse.

"Join our ranks, Katherine. And I can end this pain. You'll have everything you ever wanted. Money, power, success... whatever you wish."

The Death Eater suddenly seized her arm, gripping it painfully. "Join our ranks." He commanded roughly. "You could be a double agent. The Dark Lord would be pleased with you. You'd never have to see any more pain. No pain, no suffering, never again. Never again." The grip on her arm tightened. "Join it, Katie. Become one of us."

"Never." Katie whispered, her dark eyes stinging with tears.

With a sudden twist, white hot jets of pain shot through her arm. Katie attempted to bite back a scream, but only proceeded to begin choking up torrents of blood. It spilled out her mouth, and to the front of her uniform, in a silent, sickening scream.

The Death Eater tilted his head away, seemingly disgusted, though she couldn't tell through his mask.

"You people are so foolish." He said dryly. "The entire agency is foolish. What are they thinking, sending out people like you?"

His hand reached out and closed around her blood drenched neck, and Katie instinctively lunged up, desperate for air.

_It hurt. Oh god, how it hurt._

He seemed to sneer, watching her wheeze, as he slowly tightened his grip.

"Should I finish you, Katie?" he whispered harshly. "Or will you become one of us?"

Tears stung her eyes, and Katie gasped for breath. "Ne-" she lunged for air, trying to get the Death Eater to loosen his deathly grip.

"What did you say?" The Death Eater asked, leaning in, as he tightened his grip on her neck painfully, so much, Katie was sure she would die then and there from strangulation. "Tell me what weapons the UR is creating behind closed doors. Operation Lightning, what is it?"

"N- no." Katie gasped.

He released her, and she collapsed onto the floor, her wrists bleeding, and her knees weak. She teetered on the very edge of consciousness, though something was stopping her from going over. Holding her back. Something keeping her awake for her suffering, for this torment, for this everlasting pain, to cause increase in her anguish a thousand fold, yes, the curse of magic gone bad.

Katie closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. This was it. This was the end. She was going to die. She _wanted_ to die. She wanted the pain to be over, to never come back. Death called to her like a warm bed, to lead her away from this slow, treacherous torment. She could not even move her neck to face her death. It hurt just to breathe.

"Such a pity. You look not a day over eighteen. But you've left me no choice then, Katie Bell."

The Death Eater raised his wand.

_"Crucio."_

She shot up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat, her heart beating so loudly, she felt it was going to be torn out of her chest. Clamping a cold, clammy palm to her forehead, she tried to slow her heavy breathing, shutting her eyes tightly. _Just a dream. C'mon, Kate. It was just a stupid dream._

But it was to no avail. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw them. Their masked faces glowing, it was horrifying. Scrambling out of bed, she reached for her wand on her bed stand and turned on the lights with a shaky wave of her hand.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she made her way quickly to her now quite empty kitchen, where large cardboard boxes were taped and piled on the floor. With one hand, she opened every drawer, searching quickly, hurriedly for something, anything. Finally, she found the small travel size bottle in the last drawer. Her long, thin fingers worked around the cap quickly, twisting and pushing due to the security lock.

Finally, the oval shaped sleeping pill fell out. And she tossed it in her mouth, snatching up the glass of water sitting on the counter, finishing the entire glass in a matter of seconds.

Katherine took a deep, staggering breath, as she laid her head in her arms, leaning against the cool surface of the counter.

She had no idea why she'd remembered it so vividly. But this occassionally happened. Every once in a while, she'd be doing fine, sleeping great, happy and well, until she'd suddenly have one of these recollections. It was normal, her Healer had told her. And they should always be expected if her mind was especially unclear or bogged down at a particular time.

At last, she began to calm down, starting to feel a bit sleepy as the pill worked its magic, literally. Lifting her head and standing up, she picked up her small, oval wristwatch, one of the few things still on her counter. She had about a good eight hours, before she'd really have to get up to meet with the team. To get to England.

Oh god, England.

She hated thinking about it. Just the dread she felt whenever England was mentioned was killing her. Simply put, she felt torn. A part of her wanted to go, to relive those memories, and see the same places, maybe even the same people, revalidate that part of her life, but a part of her wanted to stay here. A part of her wanted to stay in this safe haven, where she could live peacefully in her self imposed exile, trying to forget her old self. A part of her hated England, for everything that it took from her. And still a part of her needed, loved, and cherished England for everything that it gave to her.

It was killing her softly, she realized, subconsciously. This life. Sure, it was peaceful, calm, safe and virtually guaranteed. Unlike anything she'd ever had before. But was this really what she wanted? Living a life of fame and athletic glory, seemingly a perfectly happy and successful person to all her fans and onlookers, only to come home alone each night to a restless sleep and numerous color coded bottles of medications. Was _this_ what she really wanted? How long would she live like this, alone and depending on chemicals to let her sleep at night?

No. She wanted to be a perfectly happy, successful person on the inside too. Not just on the outside, where everybody could see, but on the inside, where only she could feel. There was so much she wanted to do, but how could she, when this life was...

_Killing me softly._

That's exactly what it was doing. Even Healer Jones knew it. It was killing her softly. Slowly, but surely, it was ruining any life she had left. She had to escape. Somehow, sometime.

...Only eight hours. She had only eight hours, till she was sure it would all come rushing back in.

Warily, a tired and emotionally exhausted Katherine Bell made her way to her bed, settling in for a peaceful, dreamless, medication induced sleep.

* * *

- - 

Next chapter, seriously, Katie gets to England, furrrrreal, no lie. AND, she gets her first glimpse of Ollie. Hell yeah, so if you want a faster/longer update, you better review!

Yes! 28 reviews! Hmm…(rubs chin thoughtfully)…this is my wonderful sage advice. Get me up to 45 reviews, and thee/thou/whatever shall go far! Now hurry, bunnies, hurry! Time is a runnin!

Eeek. If you can guess who wrote the song this chapter is titled after, then you're a special kid today!

If you can't guess who wrote the song this chapter is titled after, then you're a super sonic kid today!

If you're thinking something along the lines of _what the hell is wrong with her_?… then you're a normal kid today!

K, yeah, whatever. Review.


	4. So Unnervingly Familiar

_You've a Good Heart, Katie Bell_

By CarbonMonoxide

**Full Summary: **Love is crazy, love is blind. Love is cruel and unkind. Love is sudden, random, and unplanned…why is love so hard to understand?

Disclaimer: uno dos tres.

Special thanks to my beta Bon Bear! She's got this sweet fairy tale Brother's Grimm story, that's awesome, except for the fact that she hasn't updated in a while, but check it out!

* * *

"Is this all, ma'am?" The scruffy looking teenager asked, as he levitated a line of cardboard boxes out of the door. 

"Yes, I think that's all of them." Katherine replied, quickly glancing around the empty living room to make sure there weren't any more forgotten boxes hiding somewhere. Satisfied with the entirely empty room, except for the blinds on the windows, she fished out a couple galleons from her purse and handed them over to the young man who was waiting patiently as he stood with a wand in one hand.

"Oh, ma'am, I only need twelve galleons, this is fifteen…" The blonde haired seventeen year old pointed out, quickly picking out three galleons to return back to Katherine. "Here you go-"

"No, it's fine. Keep the rest. Thanks Jimmy." The dark haired woman smiled slightly at the teen. She remembered now, as she studied his face. He had been the same boy to bring in her boxes, only a few months prior. And now she was already moving everything out again. _Life moves by so fast._

"Oh, it was nothing ma'am. Your luggage will arrive in England in a few hours. Thanks again." Jim said gratefully, "best of luck on your trip."

And then he was gone, following after the boxes that had been drifting in midair.

Katherine sighed as she gazed at the now completely empty apartment, running a hand through her hair in nervousness, anxiousness, dread, reluctance and everything else she felt. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't ease the intense sensation of instability that had implanted itself somewhere at the bottom of her stomach. Why was she nervous about returning to England?

No matter how many times she asked herself that question, she could never come up with a good answer.

She glanced down at the watch on her wrist resignedly. _You can't put it off any longer. It's time. C'mon Katherine, get a move on._

Clutching her purse, Katherine Bell reluctantly closed her eyes. Within a second, she was gone, as the sound of a quiet pop echoed in the empty flat.

_I'm here._

She opened her eyes to see witches and wizards bustling about, some people yelling in different languages, people pushing about trolleys with heavy suitcases piled on top. The Floo Station was incredibly crowded at this time of year, due to the large number of people returning home from summer vacation. She stood there awkwardly for a moment, completely dazed and confounded, unsure of what to do and where to go. _Duh, Katherine, what are you waiting for? Get out your ticket. _Mentally castigating herself for not thinking of it earlier, Katherine pulled out her Floo Ticket and scanned it quickly. _Terminal B, you're headed to Terminal B. _Taking a deep breath; Katherine followed the arrow leading towards her designated terminal. Within seconds, she spotted her Quidditch team, conglomerated near the Business Class Floo stations. Her captain seemed to be yelling about something, waving his hands conspicuously and rather frantically.

_Poor guy. He must be nervous for the tour. _Smiling slightly, Katherine quietly made her way towards the team.

A tall, blonde haired woman caught sight of her as she approached the team, and Katherine was suddenly yanked to the right. "Holy crap, Katherine, you're here! Took you long enough!" Christina Winston, fellow Beater, stated audaciously, as she pulled Katherine towards her. "Hey, Cappy, she's here." Christina stated, as she grinned, holding onto Katherine.

"Oh lord, there you are, Katherine!" A mid thirties man stated, obviously relieved by her appearance. "What took you so long? I was worried you wouldn't make it, but you're here now, so it's all good and dandy-"

"He was contemplating sending out a search party for you," Christina added, as she rolled her eyes good naturedly. "Apparently, we all thought one of our best Shooters had been abducted by a rival team. We even had reward money and everything."

"Hmm, thanks for filling her in Chrissy, but now we've got to get back to the main point." Their captain, Gary Saunders, stated matter of factly. "Okay guys… _and ladies_," Gary added hastily after receiving an embitter glare from Christina, who was the only other woman on the team, besides for Katherine. "Now let's focus," He continued "we're actually going to England, _England-"_

"Do you think everybody there's going to speak in a freaky accent like Katherine?" Christina asked, scrunching up her nose.

"Hey!" Katherine protested lightly, though she couldn't help but smile. "I do _not_ have a freaky accent!"

"Oh yeah you do." Steven Rogers, another Chaser, who was almost like Katie's unofficial brother, after knowing him for four years, retorted animatedly. "It's gotten better now, but man, you should've heard yourself when you first got here. You were all like _blah blah blah blah blah_, and I was all like _umm_, and you were all like _blah di blah_, and I was all like _huh, _and…yeah. Right Taylor?" He finished, turning to his friend and fellow Chaser.

"Oh yeah," another man agreed, nodding his head emphatically, while Katherine smiled again. "And you talked so fast, I was like what the hell is she say-"

"Okay, that's enough." Gary stated, glaring as he resumed his authoritarian form and cut off all further discussion. "Now back to what I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted by none other than our wonderful _Chrissy _(you know, if you weren't my wife's little sister, and my daughter's favorite aunt, you wouldn't even be here right now), so we're going to England to _see and be_ some of the best quidditch out in the world today, we've gotta be aggressive, cut throat, focused, we've got to get our heads in the game, we got to use our exemplary quidditch skills to show those other teams all that we've got!"

"Yeah, Captain Saunders!" Taylor hooted enthusiastically.

"We won't let you down, Captain." Katherine assured him, smiling, and the rest of the team cheered, oblivious to the noise they were causing in the Business class Floo station. As the rest of the team cheered, Katherine was suddenly reminded of Quidditch at Hogwarts. _Quidditch at Hogwarts with Angelina and Alicia, the twins, Harry…and Oliver…_his figure swam very vaguely in her mind, she couldn't really see a face, but a figure was definitely there. A small smile spread across her lips as she remembered Hogwarts quidditch, before it quickly faded. _Harry, Ron… Auror training…_ She quickly shook her head and brought her attention back to her team. _It's done, and it's in the past_ she reminded herself fiercely, as she glanced at a grinning Chrissy. _Get over it. _Eventually, the team members settled into a peaceful silence, and Katherine soon found herself staring at the slowly moving minute hand of the clock perched on the wall opposite her seat in the waiting area. With every little twitch of the hand, she felt herself begin to get more nervous. Nervous for the all the possible pain, for all the possible headaches, for all the memories to come rushing back. She'd trained her mind not to remember, to avoid remembering, but now the idea of trying to forget was going to be thrown out the window. Now she was sure, every little thing was going to remind her, remind her of things she wished desperately to block out of her mind forever. For a while, she'd tried to feign neutrality, pretend that she didn't really care about going to England, she'd even tried to pretend that the Quidditch Tour was trivial and inconsequential, and that it'd be over before she knew it… but she could only lie to herself for so long.

Katherine closed her eyes, trying to relax. But she couldn't, she couldn't relax at all. Every time she closed her eyes, visions of England flashed through her head.

_"At this time, all Business Class passengers of Floo Station A122 to London, England may proceed to the Station."_

"That's us!" Captain Saunders declared excitedly, jumping out of his seat. "C'mon guys, Chrissy, Katherine, Taylor… let's go!"

Katherine wanted to scream. Merlin, already? So soon? She unconsciously quickened her breathing. _Am I ready for this? _Silently, the petite, dark haired woman followed her team through the security, half in a daze. Before she knew it, she was standing inside a mass of emerald green flames, a few, scanty grains of sand that she had not already thrown in, sticking to her right hand.

She took a seat on the leather seat provided, in the small space of the Business class fireplace. Taking one last breath, her hands clutching either side of the seat, she spoke to the flames in a slightly shaky voice. "Ministry of Magic, Department of Transportation, London, England." In a split second, the walls around her began to spin, and Katherine, sitting back in her seat, saw quick flashes of different places around the world, as the fireplace attempted to connect to England. She caught a glimpse of what looked like the Canadian Floo Port, a flash of Spain, and a scene of Rome, before the spinning slowed down.

At last, the fireplace came to a complete stop, and Katherine could clearly see most of her team standing a little ways in front of the grate of the fireplace. Taking a deep breath, the petite dark haired woman stood up, stepping slowly and cautiously out of the fireplace.

_"Welcome to England, madam!"_

Katherine, much to her surprise, was greeted with a loud burst of whistles and cheers, as people, most likely Quidditch fans and some press people, standing around the entrance of the fireplace applauded and waved. Despite her nervousness, she couldn't help but smile back. She made her way towards her team, where Chrissy immediately approached her.

"So tell me Katherine, how does it feel to be back in England?" The blonde haired woman asked amicably, grinning at her.

"Great." The dark haired woman breathed quietly. What a _lie._ She hesitantly glanced around the Ministry of Magic once, the same Ministry she had spent three years of her life in, before she offered a small smile up at the Beater. "It feels great."

* * *

Katherine sat herself up, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked around the room, and panicked for a second at the notion of waking up in a place that was obviously quite different from her own apartment room in Hawaii. _What the hell?_ In other words, the room she was in was not her bedroom. A moment later, though, the brunette woman sighed at her own stupidity and slowly, almost unwillingly crawled out of bed. Of course, why had she been so shocked at first? This was London, not Honolulu. She'd have to remember that. 

Katherine stepped over to the large window of her fancy hotel room, and pulled open the curtains, once again, surprised by the sight. The view was nice, even if it was not of a sunny, sandy beach and clear blue ocean. Her room overlooked the cosmopolitan city of magical London, with all its large buildings and window paned sky scrapers. The entire site would've been a lot more appealing however, had it not been drizzling rain and had the sky not been an unattractive shade of murky gray. Katherine sighed again, almost amused. Well, that was England. She'd better get used it, because she was going to be here for a while.

Yesterday had passed by in a sort of haze. They hadn't really done much of anything, except check in to their hotel, assigned to them by their tour organizers, and unpack. Tony had warned them not to unpack too much though, because they would be moving out of the hotel and into a different area of the city, a wealthier as well as more residential spot, where they would be given flats to move into for a longer period. Supposedly, it was where anybody who was basically a sort of celebrity, or anybody who could afford it, lived or stayed. The rest of the day, the team had basically lounged around, talking and eating, and basically doing nothing, because the official start of the Tour would not happen for another two days, which was when all the Quidditch teams participating, would be introduced, to the media and to the public.

Pulled out of her thoughts, Katherine glanced at the clock on her bedside, which read 6: 35. It was still early in the morning, perhaps she could explore a little? She wouldn't be as well known here, Katherine reasoned, this was England after all, and besides, she only had two days before people would start to recognize her, she had might as well use them, right? So with that decision made, Katherine made her way over to the bathroom, to complete her usual morning routine.

Twenty minutes later, Katherine found herself in front of the receptionist's desk, an apple and purse in hand.

"May I help you, ma'am?" The receptionist asked politely, peering up through her square spectacles with a smile. Upon looking at the receptionist, Katherine was distinctly reminded of Mary, the receptionist at her old clinic, which then succeeding in reminding her of something _else,_something else that she'd have to do later on. The only thing that was extremely different was this lady's accent. It was clearly British, she mused. She'd forgotten how different the British accent could sound.

"Yes," Katherine said finally, after she had been brought out of her thoughts, "I'd like to know where I could go to do some light shopping, preferably with a Quidditch store there?"

"Hmm, shopping?" The lady asked thoughtfully. "Well, there's always Sorcerer's Plaza," she started, bringing out a map. "But if you'd really like some nice Quidditch things, I'd suggest Diagon Alley." The woman added, circling something on the map.

"Diagon Alley?" Katherine repeated with wide eyes, immediately recognizing the name.

"Oh yes." The lady stated, with a nod. "It might seem odd, but Diagon Alley has one of the largest Quidditch stores in the nation. You can find everything there, and everybody, including other professional players, go there for Quidditch supplies." She brought out the map and showed it to Katherine, pointing to areas where she had circled. "This is the public apparition station for Diagon Alley. It'll be right in the center, and a little ways forward is your Quidditch store. It's not too hard to find. Think you'll be okay?"

"Oh, yes, thank you." Katherine said politely, as she took the map the receptionist held out to her. She probably wouldn't even need it. Offering a small smile of gratitude to the receptionist, Katherine made her way towards the hotel's apparating block, feeling slightly… _what?_ Uneasy? Daring? Scared? _How about stupid? _Katie asked inwardly, wanting to smack herself for her ridiculousness. Why was this such a big deal, anyway? She was simply going to visit a place that she hadn't stepped foot in for about 4 years or more. Nothing more. A sudden painful thought occurred to her, but Katherine quickly dismissed it. There was no use thinking about it now, but the last time she'd been in Diagon Alley, she'd been purchasing books for her Auror training. Shaking her head quickly, as if clearing her head, Katherine closed her eyes, preparing to apparate. Within an instant, she was gone.

Katherine blinked. _Oh wow_. She certainly hadn't been here for a long time. Four years, in fact. She hesitantly walked down the mostly empty lanes of Diagon Alley. Of course the lanes were mostly empty. It was, after all, six thirty in the morning. A lot of the shopkeepers, as well as the other people employed here were just now getting situated in their stores. As the brunette woman looked around, she couldn't help but be surprised at how much the place she used to come to for school supplies had really changed. Diagon Alley had developed, modernized; it appeared more organized as well. Gone were the uneven cobblestone paths with moss growing in cracks between the stones and the clutter of tiny, shack-like shops, having been replaced by smooth stone walkways, and renovated store buildings. Despite all its changes, however, Katherine was surprised to see that many of the old stores in Diagon Alley were still there, such as the Magical Menagerie and Madam Malkin's Robes. It seemed as if everything had changed, yet nothing had.

Katherine was still walking down the street, occasionally glancing at a store, when something caught her eye. Her breath quickened. This was what she had been looking for. She nearly sprinted to the door and flung it open.

_Quality Quidditch Supplies._ Katherine entered the store, and was once again caught by surprise. The store certainly looked different, it was bigger and more expansive, yet the arrangement inside was exactly as she had remembered. After all, she'd actually spent a lot of time here when she'd been younger. She made her way over to the display area, where the newest items were shown for people to see. There seemed to be a new broom in the very center, and Katherine instantly made her way to it. She'd heard a lot about this new broomstick, she wanted to see it for herself. And upon closer inspection she realized that it really was what everyone said about it. She ran her hand lovingly over the sleek, polished broom on display and read the place card.

_The Celerity 690_

_Extremely agile and flexible, this beautiful handcrafted work is ideal for the professional Quidditch Chaser or Seeker. Built to withstand the most ferocious weather, this broom is created with the utmost care and quality. The Celerity 690 offers a surprising amount of control and is extremely maneuverable, increasing the overall swiftness of flying, and placing emphasis on speed and control. Incredibly light and powerful, this broom takes Quidditch to a whole new dimension. Now available through mail order. See front desk for details._

She almost sighed. It _really_ was beautiful. To say Katherine really wanted it, would be an understatement. The thing was a work of art. Besides, she was back in England after four years, was in the middle of an international Quidditch tour, and her old broom needed to be repaired for the tour anyway. _So why not?_

Katherine gazed at the famous, new broomstick one last time, before making her decision. She headed over to front desk to meet a young, teenage girl, most likely working here for her summer job, flipping through a magazine.

"Excuse me?" Katherine asked politely.

"Oh, hello, can I help you?" The girl asked, looking up from her magazine.

"Yeah, I'd like to place an order for-"

"Woah!" The girl exclaimed suddenly, looking at Katherine with wide eyes. "Are you…" she glanced back down to the magazine, "by any chance, _the_ Katherine Bell? The Chaser from America?"

Katherine was caught by surprise. _How did she recognize me?_ The brunette woman was wearing jeans and a tee shirt, with the sleeves rolled up. Didn't she look normal, enough?

As if to answer her question, the girl raised up the magazine she had been reading to reveal a centerfold of _her_.

And Katherine understood. Apparently, she had been rated number two for Top Twenty Hottest New Players on the Pitch, according to _Quidditch Now_. Well, at least that's what it said, as far as she could make out. She'd completely forgotten about that interview, as it hadn't been a big deal. It had actually occurred a long time ago, and to her surprise, was just being published now. Katherine looked back up at the girl, who was staring at her questioningly.

"Uh, yeah, that would be me," Katherine stated finally, getting over her initial surprise, as she laughed a little. Goodness, the media was annoying sometimes.

"Oh, _wow_! Can I have your autograph? This is sooo cool!" screamed the girl, happily, as she searched around frantically for a quill. Finally locating one that had lodged itself under her chair, she picked it up and practically thrust the pad and quill up at a somewhat shocked Katherine.

The brunette woman smiled to herself, as she held up the notepad and quill. For some reason, she didn't know why, this girl reminded Katherine of herself. "So…what's your name?"

"Andrea" the girl replied, positively beaming. "But I go by Andy." She added, still smiling widely at Katherine.

"Andy, huh?" The woman repeated, smiling back at the girl, before deciding to write down a short note along with her autograph. She bit her lip, as she wrote:

_To Andy-_

_Life is a game. Play hard. _

_Best Wishes and Good Luck,_

_Katherine Bell_

Satisfied, Katherine handed the notepad back to the teen girl, who was sporting an ear to ear grin.

"Now, about that order…" Katherine asked gently.

"Oh, yes, I'm so sorry! The Celerity 690?"

"That's the one."

"Here's an order form, just fill it out, and slip it into that box in the corner, ma'am. I just have to go check on something in the storage room." The girl stated quickly, almost ruefully, and it was obvious that she didn't want to leave Katherine's presence.

"Alright. Thanks." Katherine answered, as she moved out of the way and behind the counter. She was leaning over, so engrossed in filling out the form, that she didn't really notice when someone else entered the shop. In fact, she didn't even really notice that someone was standing right in front of her, until they spoke.

Oliver didn't know what the hell he was doing awake at an ungodly hour like this, and he especially didn't know what he was doing in Diagon Alley, of all places, but his trainer had asked him to place an order for the Celerity 690, so he'd decided to get the job done. Besides, it had been early, and he was pretty sure there wouldn't be many people out. "Er… excuse me, can I place an order-"

Katherine looked up suddenly. _Woah._ Her heart almost skipped a beat. _Oh merlin._ For some strange reason, she couldn't really explain why, she was hit with an incredibly strong sense of familiarity when she set eyes on the man standing before her. He was tall, she noted as her eyes traced his tall frame, lean, toned and slightly muscular physique, dark brown hair that fell in his face a little, and brown eyes. He was handsome too, exceedingly handsome, in fact. She noticed his finely wrought features, and the way he was leaning against the counter, so unperturbed and placid, yet radiating intensity. It was just that…he seemed _so familiar though_. She had to have seen him somewhere… but where? _C'mon, Katherine, think._ _Think! _But then she suddenly stopped herself. Of course, she wouldn't be able to recognize this man. Besides, wouldn't she remember someone who looked like _him_? She was just being stupid, not to mention ridiculous. She hadn't even been in this country for four years, why, of all people, would she remember some guy? He was probably some random person she'd never even seen before. "I'm sorry," Katherine said quickly, initiating their conversation again. He had probably thought she worked here. "I don't work here."

Oliver didn't even understand what the woman had said. Partly because he hadn't really been paying attention, and partly because her accent had caught him by surprise. The moment she'd looked up, for some reason, his speech had suddenly lost him. In fact, the moment she'd looked up his mind had screamed _'Oh merlin, I KNOW you!' _The only problem was that he didn't though, he didn't know her. He'd tried to figure out what it was that made her seem so terribly familiar, but he couldn't. And everything he noticed about her after that just made her seem more familiar, from her unusual dark blue eyes to the curls of her rich, coffee-colored hair. She even seemed to be just a few years younger than himself, if he could guess age correctly. More importantly though, Oliver could've _sworn_ he'd seen that woman somewhere, _somewhere_. _Brown hair, blue eyes, where have I seen that before?_ It was her accent that proved him wrong, however. It wasn't really like the strong British accent he was used to, it seemed to be almost like a strange mix of accents. She was obviously from somewhere else, he reasoned. Oliver himself had never lived anywhere except Scotland or England, so why the hell would he know some foreign woman?

"I'm sorry, I don't work here." Katherine repeated, a little louder and slower this time. Maybe he hadn't heard her at first?

Oliver understood this time. "Oh, I'm sorry." He said, apologizing. "I thought you were a new cashier or something." She _had_ been behind the desk, after all.

Katherine shook her head, offering him a polite smile. "No, I'm just a customer. The cashier should be back in a little while, I think she went to go get something."

"Alright. Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem." Katherine stated. She went back to her work, and quickly finished filling out the order form for the new broomstick. Dropping the completed order form in the appropriate box, Katherine made her way to the exit of the store. However, just before she stepped out, Katherine glanced back at the one single customer in the store, who was leaning against the counter, casually tapping his fingers on the surface. She couldn't help it; he was just so unnervingly _familiar_. As if feeling her eyes on him, the man suddenly turned around, and Katherine met his gaze for the tiniest fraction of a second, her breath catching in her throat, before she quickly ducked her head and pushed the door open, leaving the quidditch store once and for all, breathing significantly heavier than she had been when entering.

Oliver frowned, rubbing the back of his neck, as he gazed at the closing door. _What the hell?_ Why did he keep feeling like he knew her? There was just something about her face… Who _was_ she? Finally, he shrugged to himself and dismissed those thoughts. _This is what happens when you wake up too early in the morning. You have a really weird day._

* * *

- - - 

Hurrah for another completed chapter! Now in case any of you are wondering, let's clarify a few things.

4 (and a half) years isn't that long. How could Oliver not recognize Katie, and vice versa? -Well, let's keep in mind that Oliver is 2-3 years older than Katie. He graduated when she was about fifteen, and that's why he'll only remember a fifteen year old Katie. The last time he saw her was 7 years ago. She changed a little too, from 15 to now. Remember how her hair used to be straight in chapter 1? She grew up, and her accent's a little mixed as well, so it's hard to place. Besides, Katie Bell was probably the last person on his mind when he saw _Katherine. _Pretty much the same goes for Katie. It's seven years of not seeing him. Also… I emphasize the italicized part below. Rest assured however, she does remember him, it's not like she got amnesia. That would suck.

Why does Katie/Katherine hate remembering things, things that are harmless and have nothing to do with her Auror experience? –Well, she doesn't hate remembering all the fun things, like quidditch practice. It's just that some memories trigger _those_ memories, that she wants nothing to do with. She doesn't want to take a chance and end up having an emotional break down in the middle of the street, to put it in a more dramatized way. Besides, if you haven't picked up on this already, _her memory is_ _kind of screwed up. _There, I said it. For more information, contact Healer Elizabeth Jones and somehow get a hold of Katherine Bell's medical records, or… keep reading.

Katie/Katherine is not a Mary Sue. I deleted like 12 chapters of this story, and started over just so she wouldn't be a Mary Sue. She might seem super perfect right now, but you'll see that she's really not later on. If you still think she's a Mary Sue, then I don't know, throw a papaya at me.

Now read and review! See, I got another update in quicker than usual, I kept my promise! We're at 88! Can we get to 100?


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